


The Special Trials

by monteyjames



Series: His Only Chance [1]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Future Fic, M/M, Magical Tattoos, Non-Canonical Character Death, Non-Canonical Violence, Worldbuilding, demon prejudice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-10-03 00:24:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10231388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monteyjames/pseuds/monteyjames
Summary: Set five years in the future, the world of Assiah has gone through a major change with the gate to Gehenna being forced open and major attacks on the world by the eight kings. As a result, a special trial is being held by the True Cross Order to find strong candidates to raise to the title of Arc Knight in which 100 candidates from around the world will be allowed access. The gang has been given access to the trial and will be made to compete alongside many new faces and possibly be separated.Ryuuji, whose relationship with Rin has deteriorated prior to this trial is determined to make up with him, and should his plan work, be able to save Rin's life.





	1. And the trial begins

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic so any advice greatly appreciated. Also, I'm going to be borrowing mostly from the manga, so I'll be sure to leave references if you'd like to know and read for your own enjoyment :).

It was the crack of Dawn in the middle of a vast desert, with no sign of civilization for miles. The only sound that could be heard was that of the bus the group had ridden in making its way further into the middle of nowhere. On that bus sat eight passengers and seven of them with their bags packed as if they were going to be spending quite a while away from their respective homes. The eighth, a woman with short, messy, red and blonde hair and wearing tight ripped jeans and an open small jacket with nothing but a bikini covering her breasts. Like everyone else, all she could do was stare out of the window. It was either that, sleep, or look down into her lap like she was depressed. But unlike most of the people on that bus, she was just bored. Her name was Shura Kirigakure... and this is NOT her story, but she does snap the other passengers out of their funk in a bit.

 

"Ma'am, we're nearing our destination", sounded off the bus driver to Shura and she responded exasperatedly "FIIIIIIIIIIINALLY!!! I thought this ride was going to last forever" before getting out of her seat and turning to the other passengers behind her. "Okay, listen up you maggots! Cut the moping and get your heads in the game" She shouted to the young passengers, making some of them snap to attention at the sound of her command. "But ms. Kirgigakure, none of us are moping" Said a young blonde woman with a soft spoken voice. "Moriyama, sweetie. I beg to differ" Shura replied, mainly referring to two of the males on the bus. "But that's not important. What matters right now is the test that you're about to take. I've already briefed you back in Japan, but for  _official reasons,_ they're going to go over the boring stuff again once you get off the bus. All that I have to do is give you all your designated numbers. They'll call out your numbers once when it's time, so clean your damn ears out. "

 

As the bus began to come to a stop, some of the passengers looked out of the window and saw numerous buses and people. Some were dressed like students and others were dressed in official attire. It also appeared as if everyone from around the world had arrived to this one place in the middle of the desert. It was almost surreal. 

 

"Looks like you've really got the whole world to compete against. I hope you're all ready for that," Shura had stated. And then yelling "NOW GET READY TO BE CALLED OFF!!!" much to the chagrin of the young men and women on the bus. "Moriyama, Shiemi!" Up Stood the blonde girl from before with her bag in hand, and her happy little plant spirit on her shoulder. She walked up to Shura and received a small piece of paper with the number 16 written on it. "Don't lose it". The young green eyed girl simply nodded with a look of determination and walked off of the bus. "Kamiki, Izumo" Next stood a young woman with Long dark purple hair and small eyebrows. she took the paper reading 12 and then walked off of the bus. Upon hearing the name "Miwa Konekomaru", a young short bald man stood up and walked towards the front of the bus and received the number 2, walking nervously away. "Shima, Renzou" was called next and up jumped slightly tall pink haired young male with a cheesy smile on his face. "maybe you could give me a kiss for good luck" Renzou had flirted,  Shura was not here for any of it while flatly stating 8 and pushing him off the bus. the next name she called was Takara Nemu, a blonde boy with a mouthy sock puppet, whom she could not stand. Shura handed him the paper that read 14 and watched him cautiously as he left the bus. "creep..." she said under her breath after he was out of ear-shot. She looked back the remaining two boys needing to be called off. One who sat closer to the front with blueish black hair, pointed ears, and somewhat long sharp black nails, wearing disheveled clothing and looking out of the window like he didn't care about anything. And the other who was closer to the back with Short dark brown hair, and numerous silver piercings in his ears with one on his left eyebrow and a little bit of scruffy hair on his chin who was looking forward, not really at anything however. 

 

"Okumura, Rin" Shura had called out, but the boy in the front refused to move from his spot. "So that's how it's gonna be Rin?" she asked, and then decided to walk up to him. It took all but two seconds for her to give him one good hard punch to his head, making him growl in pain and hop to his feet, ready to strike at her, but winces once he realizes that she now has his tail in her hand.

"Are we really going to have to go through this?" she asked

"I don't know. do you really have me here to waste my time?" he fired back

"You know why you're here. it's because you DESERVE to be. You've earned this right." 

"Yeah Whatever just let my tail go" he said in a dismissive tone

"3" she spoke as he snatched the paper from her hand, also grabbing his sheathed Katana and bag, and then walked off while being followed by a two-tailed black cat.

"Last but not least..." she spoke looking at the other gentleman. "Suguro, Ryuuji".

The last boy on the bus stood from his seat, grabbing his things and heading towards the front. When the tall, slightly muscular male stood in front of her to receive the last sheet of paper, it read 11. He simply nodded and walked to the door to step outside. Shura, had grabbed Ryuuji by the arm though, signalling that she needed to talk with him before they had to separate.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" She asked with a serious tone in her voice

"Yes Ma'am" he replied, not facing her

"You know I'm not talking about the trial right? "

"Yes Ma'am"

"Good. At the first opportunity, find him immediately. You'll need to act quickly"

"I understand.

"Hopefully you'll get to him before the order does decides to send other people in"

"I assure you, Ms Kirigakure. I'm ready to do what needs to be done" He said with sureness and melancholy in his voice while staring at an absent-minded Rin.

 


	2. The Announcement

As Ryuuji stepped outside of the bus, he Stopped to take a quick survey of the crowd. He noticed that all of the members of the order present were not only diverse in ethnicity, but also in age. And for clothing, members ranged from wearing official order uniforms, to suits that better represent their home of origin, to school uniforms, or just even casual wear. It slightly perplexed him, but not enough to take his focus away from the two things that constantly bounced around in his mind: What this trial consisted of, and what to do with Rin. He noticed that his two childhood friends, Miwa Konekomaru and Shima Renzou, were standing nearby taking a look at the crowd as well and walked over to them.

"Wow... I didn't expect there to be this many people" said Koneko, simply mesmerized by such a drastic change.

"Yeah... Look at all the _prospects_..." said a sly Renzou, looking as if he had entered a buffet and the sheer amount of women there were each of his favorite meals.

"Aaaand I'm pretty sure that those prospects will beat you into a pulp, Shima" koneko replied dryly

"So where did everyone else get off to?" Ryuuji asked, noticing them being the only group members there. "Oh. Izumo and Shiemi went on ahead to see if there might be something to eat and get information. Takara went... _somewhere_  (in the driest, most disdainful tone). And we tried to talk to Rin, but he walked off the other way. I hope he's okay." Koneko informed.

"yeah, he seems pissed" agreed Shima. "Bon, what did you DO to him?"

"Huh?! What do you mean me?!" shot Ryuuji, taking immediate offense.

"Oh come on! You haven't noticed? Granted, Rin cares about everybody but when it comes to only three people does he get even more angry, or happy, or sad or anything else. that's Okumura Sensei, Moriyama, and YOU." explained the pink haired hound dog. "And being that Shiemi never makes anybody mad, and that he hasn't spoken to his brother in a while, the blame goes to you, Bon. Sooooo..... whatcha do to him?"

*sigh* "Nothing. I swear. I did nothing at all." Ryuuji couldn't help but look away from his friends as he answered. His pride wouldn't let him show his shame because deep down, he knew he lied. He had hurt his half-demon friend. Maybe not physically, but he definitely hurt him, and oddly enough the pain was deeper than the hell that they've endured two years ago. If anything to just get off of the subject, Ryuuji began inquiring of his friends. "Anyway, what's with there being so many people here? is this a test or some sort of social event? There's no way everyone here is undergoing the trial"

"They aren't" Spoke the voice of their purple haired friend from a short distance. Izumo and Shiemi had returned with some ice cream that Izumo refused to share or even divulge where they got it from. "There's only supposed to be 100 exorcists partaking in the trial, And like us, they have a number. Everyone else is here just to be spectators apparently."

"For what? It's not like they have cameras for this. and last time I checked it wasn't some tournament" Shima shot off.

"Technicaly it is. 100 exorcists going for the title of Arc Knight? A Title that has only been exclusive to four powerful exorcists at a time? No matter what it is that we have to do, we're being measured against each other. Let's just hope that they actually don't have us fight each other, even though it's looking like that" Izumo had explained.

"Yeah... Hope..." Ryuuji went back to wondering again

Before anyone could say anything next, An announcement was made over numerous intercoms for everyone to hear: "WILL ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE STAGING AREA! REPEAT: WILL ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE STAGING AREA!" The announcement continued to sound off, in various languages for every person to understand the initial message as the participants and other arrivals made their way to the designated area.

Bon and the crew followed everyone to the staging area where everyone had gathered. Shiemi has caught sight of Rin standing off by himself, looking visibly depressed. She split from the group to run over to him, and Izumo followed behind after giving a look to Bon in which he nodded as she walked off. Before focusing on the Chancellor's speech, he took a look at Shiemi giving Rin a hug and the half-demon return it with a smile, causing Bon to crack a small one himself. Suddenly, all of the murmurs and rumblings of the crowd had quieted at the sight of the Chancellor. He was a tall Tan-skinned male in what appeared to be his fifties with medium length brown hair, mustache, and a goatee. He wore what appeared to be traditional Chinese clothing colored read and black with gold trimming.

"I would like to thank you all for being here with us today. Two years ago, Assiah had faced absolute danger when Gehenna Gate was forced open. Not only danger, but betrayal, and loss. We gather today in memory of our fallen brothers and sisters, among them, our previous Paladin, Sir August Angel whom had given his life fighting against the threat of the Eight Demon kings. Shortly after we had lost our paladin, we had also lost our four Arc Knights. One due to taking the place of Sir August, and the others to death. May they forever remain within our hearts. However in the wake of such a deadly attack, while the Order was successful in closing the gate and beating back the Eight Kings, the world was still afflicted and numerous parts of the world remain ravaged by their destruction. One such area, long corrupted by the kings Astaroth and Amaimon, lies behind me. A terrifying labyrinth born from the unholy alliance was once a sacred ground for worshipers, and now houses terrifying demons, claiming countless victims. I tell you all this information for it is why this trial is taking place. For the participants, your mission is to enter this labyrinth, reach the central area, and slay the kin of the demon kings, therefore purifying this land once again. Those who succeed and show exemplary skill will claim the title of Arc Knight and prepare for the fights that lay ahead of us. only this time, there will not be four as there have been before: We will have ten." This is met with numerous gasps. "It is not my calling, nor that of the Grigori, this change, but rather the current state of the world. Now, I shall explain a few things. You will be set up in twenty teams of five with each team bearing at least one representative for the five meisters. Even if some of you bear only one meister, you will not be without support from the other four. Before arriving, the one hundred participants should've received their numbers. As the numbers one through twenty are called, those who bear the numbers shall be called out to meet with an official and proceed to their starting point. Once all of the teams have been placed, you will be allowed to enter the labyrinth and the trial will begin. Do not expect this to end merely within the day, lest you lose your lives to powerful demons. And before I leave to allow the official to call off your teams, remember: the half-demons who stand among you are not your enemies, nor did they make such choice. They stand with us as faithful allies whom have also felt great pain and loss. DO NOT lose your bearings. I, Chancellor Huan Shirong Da, take my leave and pray for your success."

As Chancellor Huan walked away from the podium, he was sent off with a standard applause. The energy of the crowd however was mixed, with some feeling a bit of fear for the severity of the trial, and others feeling disdain for his last words. none however would dare to disrespect their superior at this time. But still, it was enough to reach Rin, Bon and the gang as they collectively felt like Rin finally had someone very high up on his side. As the official walked up to the podium, it was a surprise to the gang when it appeared to be Rin's twin brother Yukio, whom they had not seen over a month ago. "And now we shall begin calling off the teams" he had announced.

For the gang, all of this seemed to fall away. their only focus being on the fact that Yukio was here and didn't tell them, and hearing the announcements for their friends so that they could hopefully find each other while inside to make sure everyone is okay. Rin in particular, being that he was facing a greater challenge of trying not to lose himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there everyone. I would like to thank you all for checking out my fanfic and even more for the kudos and comments i greatly appreciate it. I meant to actually write this chapter yesterday, but i was needed to help my family out and lost track of time. There were some things that I actually wanted to do this chapter, like name some of the OCs, but I'll be taking the time to do that in the next chapters anyway. Now the tricky part is going to be this Labyrinth as it's going to have some teams in circles, others running into each other and maaaaaaaybe somebody dying early on. depending on my mood. But it won't be the main characters. Also, expect a little more insight as to what transpired to create the current setting and the Chancellor said what he said in the upcoming chapters. With love... peace


	3. "Teammates..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the teams enter the Labyrinth, Rin and Bon meet their respective group members, and the reaction is about as normal as you would expect.

Each of the teams were led by an official to a different starting point and as they traversed past the stage and got a better look of the labyrinth from the outside, sheer dread and fear flooded their faces. Yes, the chancellor had told them what happened, but seeing was believing. Maybe what would be a good description at this point is if Freddy Krueger, invaded wonderland, this would be the end result. All plant life was possessed and corrupted by rot demons in some sick and twisted symbiotic relationship, creating unholy new types of demons which would be hard to kill.

For Rin’s team, this was a nightmare come true. First, the Eight Demon Kings had turned their world into a sick playground for all of Gehenna, leaving parts twisted beyond recognition, then they're made to enter one of these hellholes and hope to god that they'll be able to survive it, and worst of all, their teammate is a half-demon: one of the ones involved in the Gehenna invasion. It's obvious to Rin that his team is wary of him. None choose to walk beside him or make conversation. And he can feel their dirty looks and fear to the point where it is just irritating him.

“Look, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know when people don't like me. I've been through it before” Let out Rin as he stopped before his team with his hands in his pockets and his attitude worn plainly like a new shirt. “So you gonna come out with it or what?”

“Yeah. We don't trust you. You're a nephilim. One of the very _things_ that the order should've purged years ago. But yet, they kept you around. And look where the fuck that got us.” One of the males who seemed to have an American accent mouthed off.

“Hey. Knock it off-” one of the girls shot but was met with more fire from the angry male

“No! Fuck that! How does the chancellor expect us to be just fine with this when for all we know, these _freaks_ could start picking us off one by one?!”

“Because if I _wanted_ to kill all of you, I would've done it in a heartbeat and there'd be nothing you could do to stop me!” Rin fired back, eyes fixated on the disrespectful male.

“Yeah, I bet you probably already thought about how you'd kill us too you demon.”

“ **Rin!!”** The half-demon’s feline familiar has streaked in his head, but it fell on deaf ears as within a split second, Rin already had the boy dangling in the air by the collar of his shirt, and their foreheads pressed against each other and nothing but pure rage in Rin's blue eyes striking fear into his eyes. “The only thing that's keeping me from kicking your ass right now is because if I do, I'm dead! But like I said before: if I _wanted_ to, YOU’D BE DEAD ALREADY!!!” That was all it took to remind them that he's not to be played with. He looked around at the others and all he could see was fear on their faces, which was enough of a signal for him to drop the punk and walk away.

“His eyes. They looked sad.” one of the girls had noted looking out at Rin, while the others picked up the boy. As rin walked away the thought of the words **_demon, thing, freak_ ** had run through his mind.  He hated it. And no matter what he did all he could think to himself was this: “I didn't wanna be a demon. And I didn't wanna hurt anyone.”

* * *

 

While not really far into the labyrinth from their entry point, Ryuuji and his team felt it was appropriate to get to know each other. They could possible be done with this mission and end up completing the test within a few days, but they could all possibly become five of the next ten Arc Knights and it would be better now if they learn who each other is before then.  

“Well then, I guess I’ll go first” one of the other males had spoken up to just to break up the awkwardness. He was Dark Skinned, about as tall and big as Ryuuji, with thick wooly brown hair “My name is Olumide Kayode, 20. I’m from Togo, my rank is Exorcist Middle 2nd Class, and my Meisters are Knight, tamer, and dragoon.”

“Bjarte Solberg” went the other male, a blonde pale skinned boy with a sunny disposition that could kill you alone. “Sending love to you all from Norway. I’m 23 and a lower 1st class Exorcist. Not really that impressive haha. And my meisters are everything but doctor.”

“Yesenia Martinez” the tan skinned girl in the navy blue uniform spoke with confidence. “I’m 19, hail from Mexico and I am a Lower 1st Class Exorcist. And my meisters are Tamer and Aria”

“M-My name is Xu Jiang” the other girl with short brown hair had spoken nervously, “I-I’m from China, and I’m o-only an Exwire” she finished looking down.

“You’re only an exwire? You must be pretty powerful to be here then” Olumide had noted.

“N-No I’m not. I was randomly picked” She simply replied seemingly retreating into herself.

“Well, we’re happy to have you here. Be proud of yourself” Bon had told her Jiang, hoping inspire some confidence within the girl.  “So I guess that leaves me. My name is Suguro, Ryuuji from Japan. I’m 21 and I-” Before he could get anything else out, it had dawned on Bjarte who he was and interrupted in excitement.

“W-Wait. You’re THE Ryuuji Suguro?!”

“Um… Yeah?”He answered slightly confused. And now _he_ was nervous when he saw everyone react to his affirmation with a look of shock, wondering what the hell did he do?

“AWESOME!!! I can’t believe that we have a hero on our team!” Bjarte exclaimed

“Yeah. We heard you fought of a small army of middle class demons by yourself” Olumide had added

“And he’s pretty cute too” Yesenia noted with a hint of arousal in her voice.

“W-Wow. Thanks guys, but it’s not that big of a deal. I just did what any of us would do in that situation” He tried to downplay, but he did like the praise. Being in the situation back then was humbling however, so he’d rather not dwell on it.

“Anyway, I’m an Exorcist Middle 1st Class, and My Meisters are Aria, Tamer, and Dragoon.” He had finished

“Well that actually settles something I was about to suggest for this trial” Olumide concluded

“What was it?”

“Well, my idea was that we could see who was the highest ranked exorcist among and _that_ person could take charge. So congratulations on that Mr. Suguro” the young man from Togo had said, giving Bon a nod. The others quickly thought about it and agreed that it made the most sense.

“Well, thanks everyone” Ryuuji responded confidently. “I promise to get you guys through this in one piece. I swear on my own honor.”

* * *

 

Rin had walked far enough ahead for him to feel like he was somewhat away from these new people, and he didn’t want to see or hear anymore of them for the time. Unfortunately for him, his demon ears gave him an enhanced sense of hearing, so he knew that he was still a topic of discussion among his peers, and he had nowhere to go being in this damn labyrinth. All he could do was keep moving forward with the comfort of knowing that he at least had Kuro by his side so that he wasn’t completely alone.

“It’s just you and me buddy. We don’t need anybody” said the Blueish Black haired boy as he stroked the kitten spirit perched comfortably on his shoulder. But that comfort was soon interrupted by a calling from someone he didn’t want to hear from right now.

“Wait!” the young woman shouted out to him as she jogged while trying not to trip over any vines or roots sticking from out of the ground.  “Please!” She managed to catch up to him as he kept walking forward, keeping pace with him.

“*Huff* I just want *huff* to see *huff* if you’re okay” the girl had spoken as she tried to catch her breath.

“I’m fine” he had answered, not looking at her. “Shouldn’t you be worried about that other guy?”

“He has our teammates to check on him.”

“You mean _your_ teammates”

“That’s not true. We’re in this together. No matter what anyone feels” She tried to remind him. “But I can tell. You’re NOT okay. And you meant that you don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“How do you even know?”

“The eyes never lie. My grandmother taught me that” She point out with a smile. This made Rin crack a little smile even while he still hung his head low, but she could still see that and felt it was okay to continue talking.

“I am Nur El-Amin. And you?” She had asked

“Rin. Rin Okumura”

“It’s very nice to meet you Rin” She had said extending out a hand to greet him. He stopped and looked at her hand with a bit of surprise, but looked back up to see that was serious and shook her hand. As small as this gesture was, it was big enough for him being that he felt isolated beyond anything at the moment.

“You are from Japan?” She asked and he nodded. “How old are you?” she followed up. With “20” being his reply. “What about you?” he returned.

“Oh. The same age. And I’m from Iran” She answered. “So what are your meisters?”

“I’m Just a knight” he replied. “Really? You’re not a tamer? Even though you clearly have a spirit with you?” she pointed to Kuro. “Kuro? Oh no. I never summoned him or formed a contract with him. He’s really like my pet.” **“Hey!”** Kuro took a bit of an offense to the word _pet_ even though it was true. “So what about you? What do you do?”

“I’m just an Aria” she chuckled, sounding a bit embarrassed as if it wasn’t much to be proud of.

“Really? Arias are pretty cool!” he exclaimed with enthusiasm.

“You think so?”

“Yeah! I actually know these guys who are Arias. One’s Konekomaru. He’s got a pretty cool name. And the other guy is Ryu-” he suddenly stopped when he realized whom he was about to name “Never mind.”

“Rin? Who-” suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of the ground breaking apart from around them. Rin instinctively took a guarding stance in front of Nur to protect her, drawing his sword and with Kuro leaping to the ground and growing in size to protect him too. They were surrounded by a pack of low level fusions of ghoul and plant demons who appeared to be more vicious than they seem as they leapt to attack the trio. Rin began fighting them off slicing at anyone that got close while Kuro swatted some away with his tails and Nur had chanted barriers to block the attacks. Using his enhanced speed, Rin tried to take every demon down that he could and for a short instance, his blue flames appeared to enhance his attack. Nur appeared to be a little shocked, knowing what those blue flames meant, but she thought to herself about rin and his actions up to this point, deciding not to push him away.

“Rin, do you trust me?” She yelled out to him as he kept slicing away at the low level demons that couldn’t seem to stop coming at them.

He looked back at her, noticing resolve in her eyes and yelled “Yeah!”

“Then keep them off of me long enough! I may have a way to stop them!” He obliged and continued fighting them off while she began chanting fatal verses in Arabic and soon switching to Aramaic. As the chanting continued, the barriers she formed extended out, surrounding Rin and Kuro and entrapping the demon adversaries. As she shouted out the final words, the demons were vanquished within the bright light and the onslaught had ended. She bent over to catch her breath, being that it took a lot of energy to use that move and the Half-demon ran back to her amazed by her power.

“That was awesome! Why didn’t you say you were that strong?” He asked, helping her up as she began to brush the dust off of her dress.

“Because usually, I’m not that able to protect myself” Nur had replied and the two had shared a small laugh. She wanted to mention noticing his flames but again, thought about how the two of them were having a good moment and how he didn’t seem threatening, so she just brushed it aside.

“Hey! We heard something! Are you okay?!” they heard coming from the other girl in their group as the remaining three members finally managed to catch up with them. The duo simply smiled at each other and Nur replied that they were perfectly fine, much to the chagrin of the other boy from earlier.

 **“Rin? I don’t remember this path being here before…”** Kuro had interrupted pointing out the slight change in scenery to Rin. Suddenly he looked out and noticed two paths pointing in opposite directions.

“Nur?” He called her. “Were these here when we got attacked?”

“No….” She had said also confused by the sudden change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! My goal was to try and give some tension for Rin and show how he's dealing with newfound hatred since the event that happened two years ago. as far as that goes, I'm taking time to just give you all that event little by little and paint that picture in your minds. And I will be naming the other members of Rin's team in the next chapter. I just didn't have a way of working them in during these scenes. And it felt a little awkward introducing Ryuuji's teammates, but I worked it the best way that I could at this time. The next chapter will focus on Ryuuji incorporating something he learned, while everyone learns about how the Labyrinth works. I can't think of anything else at this time, but If I can keep the pace that I have, I'll likely be uploading by the end of the night on Saturday eastern time. Adios!


	4. Shifting Paths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two teams get their footing. nothing really special happens in this chapter

Xu had watched in pure awe of the four people she had only just met. To see such a display of power, skill, and confidence by many who are still so young was actually enough to intimidate her being that she was still so new. But who could blame her? It was their first battle together and already Ryuuji’s team ran like a well oiled machine. Facing off against a dozen Nebarius demons like it was nothing, he barely had to give out orders and yet others followed without a hint of doubt or hesitation.

“Alright everyone! Simple divide and conquer! Just remember what you were taught about Naberius demons and you'll be fine!” Ryuuji had shouted out, receiving affirmations from his teammates as they proceeded to pick their targets.

Olumide weakened two of his targets with quick jabs from his holy water doused bo staff, “May the of my spirit burn brighter than the sun! Come Forth SALAMANDERS!” The Markings on his arm began to glow bright red, and within an instant three fireballs shot out from his markings, forming into full Salamander spirits. He sent two of them to finish off the debilitated ghouls, while he had the third fuse with his broadsword, decapitating the third “THREE DOWN!” Yesenia used her coyote spirits as bait to draw in two demons as she used her eagle spirit to propel them into the air. With the two off balance, she called on the fatal verse needed to vanquish them, relishing as her spirits returned to her side “two down. This was WAY too easy”. Bjarte gets cornered by two Naberius demons and pinned down. He's about to die when his face switches from fear to amusement. Suddenly the Norwegian deteriorates into water revealing to be a fake and the real one cleaves the first demon with his enchanted axe and later fires holy water bullets into the next “ha! two down over here!”

“And leave me with the remaining five I see,” Bon let out a light chuckle, “Guess I can pull something out of my sleeves.” And with that the pierced aria pulled out his guns and began to fire three shots each into the heads of the remaining demons. With the shots triangulated, he took a knee, pulled out his prayer beads wrapping them around his fingers within a specific style and formed the proper hand gestures, “Bind,” he had spoken simply and shortly after,a wave of red flames pulsated from him and engulfed the beasts, trapping them in place. His eyes were now changing to a glowing fiery red color. With one deep breath, he had spoken just one simple word.

“Mortis”

And with that one simple word, smoke began to emit from the five demons that had surrounded him. In the fashion of a magic show display, they exploded leaving nothing but ash. He stood up from his position, giving a few seconds to wait as he expected more demons to appear, and for his eyes to return to their normal state as to not raise suspicion amongst his friends. To his relief, it seemed that the battle was over for now and With that, Ryuuji turned around to notice his classmates in the same look of amazement similar to when he first introduced himself.

“Wow! I didn't know it took only one word to kill them” Bjarte had spoke, breaking the silence with pure enthusiasm.

“It didn't. Simple trick I learned” Ryuuji answered like it was no big deal.

“From where? Did you teach yourself?” Olumide had asked

“Well… Lightning taught me…” Ryuuji had replied, with a little bit of annoyance at the thought of his former mentor.  

“Wait. Lewin Light? _THE LEWIN LIGHT?!?!_ You're telling us that You got taught by the paladin too?!” Shouted bjarte as it dawned on him exactly who Ryuuji had meant.

“Yeah. I also played the role of his _babysitter_ so while I'm appreciative of what I learned, I'm not too fond of the experience”

“Damn. Never would've thought of that” said olumide

“Believe me. I didn't either until I saw for myself. A bath could only do so much for him” he lamented as he imagined the stench he had gotten accustomed to and could only realize how terrible it was after a long enough time away from it.  “By the way… Xu Jiang was it? Can I call you miss Xu?”

“U-Um, yes?”she answered a bit surprised.

“So would your role be a doctor? I've noticed you didn't fight and while the rest of us else can, no one has potions or salves on them. So I'm assuming that's your only meister?”

“Yes… I'm sorry that I... couldn't be of more use…” she had spoken softly looking down in shame.

“Don't think like that” he spoke out, looking directly at her. “there's a reason they split us all up like this. It's a reminder that we each have a role to play out in the field. Plus you're fairly new. It's not uncommon for pages and exwires to only know one meister.” He walked over to the young girl and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes like a father who wanted to encourage his daughter. Unnoticeable was the look of slight jealousy from Yesenia having to watch his strong hands on another girl.  “Don't see your lack of experience as a weakness. You're only beginning so it’s okay to feel overwhelmed.”

“I- Thank you Mr Suguro” her cheeks turning red a bit, she cracked a smile, nearly on the verge of tears from he support she received.

“Hey everyone! By the look of it, the environment has changed. It seems to be a little foggy now” Olumide had called out.

“Probably because we killed those beasts” noted Yesenia

“You might be right. The environment also seems to have changed a little…”

“Then we head out. Maybe we can find different demons to slay and that'll lead us to the source. And hopefully we can find a decent place to rest since it looks like it's getting dark soon”

“Hrm… maybe I could send my spirits to try and run ahead to find a safe zone. We might continue to walk blindly, but we’ll know where would be good to go. If i do this though… I will need you guys to pick up the slack.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll definitely have your back”

“Well coming from you, that _definitely_ makes me feel safer” Yesenia replied looking at him with a hint of infatuation that everyone could.

Ryuuji had let out a small chuckle and smirked, watching her as she commanded her spirits to disperse in different directions. “I don’t know how well this is gonna work, and I might be a little winded. Xu… you can heal me right?”

“Oh! Um… I think so”

“Don’t worry Xu. I know you can. If there’s anything you need from around here, just let us know okay?”

“Okay”

“Alright. So Yesenia, you can lead the way. Guys get ready to defend her if we get ambushed.” and with that, they waited until Yesenia got a sense from one of her spirits to know where to go next.

* * *

 

The mist had cleared and the area revealed a new pathway where originally it was nothing but trees near a gray stream. While it did concern the team, Noor did remember that this place was called a labyrinth so rather than sit around thinking  Continuing down the new path laid out before them, Rin and Noor continued ahead chatting over various subjects from home life to cooking and back again. The pair had surprisingly became close despite the initial reservation shown from his assigned team and his more devilish appearance didn’t seem to bother her at all. Behind them however, their team members Daniel, Serena and Orsino just seemed perplexed by the fast friendship they developed between each other.

“I don't fucking get it! It's like they're best friends all of a sudden!” Daniel had shouted. It angers him to see any human fraternizing with one of _them._

“At least he hasn't tried to kill her” Orsino noted, wanting to be observant of his pointy-eared teammate.

“Or maybe he's using some kind of demon magic to charm her or something. You know these demons can’t be trusted”

“Can the two of you shut up? It’s probably not even like that. Besides he hasn’t tried to kill any of us yet” Serena had snapped because she has heard this for too damn long and wants to drop the subject.

“YET” Daniel went on, “He could easily change his mind, kill us all and the order wouldn’t be able to do shit about it. I honestly can't believe you're not bothered by any of this!”

Serena Groaned in exasperation, but Daniel continued

“I say that we try and strangle him when he's at his most vulnerable and th-”

“Ugh! Enough already! Yes! He could kill us. He has even said this to us. YOU more specifically since the only idiot running his mouth trying to provoke him is YOU,” Serena had just about enough of Daniel and his constant griping about Rin at the moment “BUT constantly bitching about it at the moment is not gonna help us especially since the chancellor has made it clear that he welcomes nephilim into the order. So as far as we know, he is your future teammate and you can keep it to yourself.” Not to get her wrong, she doesn't trust Rin and the threat that he could pose is still very apparent. But Daniel’s constant bitching was like an idiot prodding a wild animal only to scream in terror once the animal does exactly what was expected.

Rin and Noor could hear them the whole time, but chose to not talk about it. He learned to build up a facade, mostly from yukio, and kept a big smile on his face thinking that no one could get to him. Also for him to at least have one person there who saw him for the person that he was deep down rather than the creature that stood before the world was just enough. But to Noor, it was clear. She was a perceptive girl even from childhood, she could tell when someone felt differently than how they expressed themselves outwardly. And through his smiling face and kind eyes, she could his breaking heart. The literal hell on earth war may have come and gone, but the living nightmare that Rin was thrusted in has gone on for two years and he was breaking inside.

“Rin… what are your friends like?” She had interrupted to try and get to know more about him. Maybe she could see that he wasn't fully alone like he believed, “Do they see you any differently? Surely they don't see you the way the others see you?”

Rin was taken aback by her questioning, but still tried his best to think of how to describe everyone. He was sure how they felt about him now though. Whenever he looked in the mirror, all he could see was this thing. To him there was no way that any of them saw past it either. At least not anymore. So he lied on a technicality. He spoke about how he knew everyone _before_ his regression occurred.

 

“So I guess I'll start with Shiemi. She's really kind and welcoming. Maybe a bit of a klutz, but she's also very determined. Once she's made her mind up about something it can't be changed. Then Izumo (I call her bug brows) she may act like she hates you but she's nicer than she lets on. Shima’s a bit of a perv. Just remember he has pink hair. I mentioned konekomaru before. He's a nice guy. Really smart too. He may be a bit insecure about his height but he's more capable than anyone thinks” as best as he could describe his friends.

“But that doesn't exactly explain how they _see_ you now,” Noor had pressed, wanting to know how alone Rin really is, “and wasn't there another name that you mentioned before? A guy named ‘Ryu’? Was it?” He couldn't keep his true emotions toward the utterance of that name hidden at all. And at that instant, Noor could see something different in Rin. Still a state of sadness, but also a look of longing, of wanting something that was taken away from him. “His name is Ryuuji Suguro. And when we met, we didn't like each other (well one of us didn't) at first, but became friends even when everyone found out I was a demon. He was actually more pissed that I didn't tell him I was one believe it or not. I thought everything was good between us, with the way we always looked out for each other. And then when I started becoming more like _this_ , he just stopped. Everyone else tried to be there for me, but it wasn't the same. It hurt…” he took a long pause, thinking of what to say next but instead remained silent again as thoughts of the pierced young man rushed back into his head. Specifically the thoughts what happened between them during that period in which their friendship deteriorated.

But all in all, Noor got what she wanted. And what she wanted to know was what or whom was the cause of Rin’s misery. But for her, it still left questions that needed to be answered and the only way she would get truthful answers was to inquire from this Ryuuji as to what happened between them. So instead of pressing the matter further, she apologized to rin and offered comforting words. It was at that point Serena ran up to them.

“Hey you two! I don't mean to break up this lovefest but nightfall is starting and we're going to have to sleep soon. Let's just park it right here and draw our warding circle so that way we can get some sleep.” The duo had not even began to notice the change in daylight had she not mentioned it. So as such the team setup camp for the night. While normally it would be all of the males in one tent together, Rin’s special situation called for him to be in his own tent. Thankfully it seemed that the officials thought ahead when they distributed the camping gear to everyone. Everyone had later drew straws to see who would be the first to stand watch in case the circle failed and who would wake everyone else up. At Noor’s suggestion, Serena secretly rigged the straws so that only those two would have to be on watch before and after Rin in case Daniel got any ideas.

And with that the first night had passed


	5. In The Middle of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuuji has a bad dream and in turn gets to know Xu a little more

As he slept, Bon couldn't think of anything but the past. The same memories replayed in his mind like a goddamn rerun of a show that got cancelled at a cliffhanger so now you're only left wondering what the end of it all could've been. He thought back to when it all changed for him as his own subconscious began to write the scene that replayed over and over again. For once in what seemed like a while, it was a day off from duty and from classes. Everyone had the rare afforded opportunity to relax and divert their focus from the amounts of work that the university piled onto them. Bon was a little relieved, but he hadn't really known what to do with himself. He was even more surprised that nearly everyone else went off to do something else and didn't think to tell him until after they were already gone. He swore that he’d kill Shima and Konekomaru when they got back though and their only stay of execution will be if they brought back something good. 

“So you had gotten left here too huh Rooster?” Bon had looked up to the familiar sounding voice to see a more human looking Rin in his summer clothes, smiling as if he was about to be off on some grand adventure. “Shut up, Monkey” the pierced Aria had responded while smiling back, “what are you doing here? I thought you'd be off with the others going to the beach or something.” To be honest, Rin had overslept when they left so they had texted him that they'll be in Shibuya for the day and for him to let them know if he was going to meet them there. “Yeah they're probably going to the movies or the mall. That honestly sounds boring and unproductive” Bon had responded once Rin told them. “Well then since you wanna have fun how about we go to the amusement park? We could play games, ride roller coasters and do a bunch of other stuff” rin had suggested, but Bon had noted one vital flaw in his plan: the sword. “Aww c’mon! We’ll be fine! Plus even if I have to leave my sword, only people who've been tainted can see my tail! Let's just go!” *sigh* “fine, but no ridiculousness”. “Haha no promises.” 

Oddly enough for the two boys, it was the perfect day. They rode the biggest rides without managing to lose their lunch and played nearly every game they could win a prize at. They'd try to show off in front of each other playing strength games to see who could beat the other. Bon told Rin that he's not allowed to use his powers so that it would be fair, and every time he beat the half-demon, showing off a bit. They laughed and joked about the dumb things that went on during class and work, making light of the experiences they've had over the years.  It was truly a perfect day filled with smiles and laughter that only came from a genuine friendship. But it was also that day that Bon had realized something. It wasn't just friendship that he felt, but a strong emotional attraction that he didn't expect. It was a feeling that he only knew from seeing it between his own parents but never having experienced it himself. And it was scary for him. 

They managed to make it back to the dorms where Bon had walked Rin back to his so that they wouldn't get too many prying questions from their friends and neighbors. “Hey Bon? I just wanna say… thanks for hanging out with me. I'm really grateful for that” Rin had spoken breaking the awkward silence between them. “U-Um yeah… no problem” Bon had said. He was actually blushing a bit still thinking about what he realized earlier. Rin wasn't exactly sure what was going on with his friend but he paid it little mind as he was going to shower and eat dinner later. It was then that Bon had stopped him to say something. “R-Rin? There's uhh… something I… wanna tell ya” he said struggling to make eye contact. “Huh? What’s up man? You okay?” Rin had asked him concerned for his friend. “N-No it's- wait! I mean yeah. Everything's fine it's just-” this was becoming more complicated than it needed to be now, “ahh! Look... I just wanna say that... that I-” but before he could utter the words, a large explosion could be heard as it rumbled across the university. Voices of concern quickly became screams of terror as everyone was met with a surge of violent demons and the sinister laugh of a familiar figure could be heard before everything began to quickly fade. Sound faded away as Bon screamed out Rin’s name, but what he saw was the boy he wanted to be with being taken away and despite all effort, being unable to save him. 

The horror of the nightmare engulfed Bon so much that he had awoken from his sleep blurting out Rin's name and in a cold sweat. His heart was pounding in terror as the last part of his dream lingered on in his mind refusing to disappear, but he had no choice except to regain his composure otherwise he'd let his teammates into what he was really here for. He had looked around quickly only to see that the other tamers were still sound asleep. Perfect. Except for Xu Jiang who was supposed to be keeping watch. “Where could she be…?” He had wondered, then so deciding to get up and search for her if necessary since there was no chance he was going back to sleep now. Bon had put on his boots and a long sleeve shirt to hide his tattoos, grabbed one of his guns and a clip of ammunition just in case and proceeded to move from the campsite, his eyes on a swivel and arms at the low ready position. the markings on his skin appeared to glow red a bit and what appeared to be a small flame covered his gun hand.  He wasn't about to get caught off guard and killed out here. Not yet at least. 

“Xu…? Xu…? If you can hear me make some kind of noise…” and as he was walking, a presence had crept behind him until it reached out and grabbed him on the should- “Ah!” He shouted pointing his gun ready to fire, eyes glowing red with fury, only to find a trembling Xu with a big shoulder bag. Ryuuji couldn't help but feel a little guilty and deadpanned that a girl with little fighting skills got the drop on him. Fuck. “What… the  _ hell _ … are you doing…?” He asked still deadpanned but putting his gun back in the holster since he  _ did  _ just scare the girl to high hell. “W-W-W-Well I wanted- uhhh I wanted to find some herbs s-so that I could be more useful to the team and-and-” “oh. Alright so you were trying to make healing herbs?” 

“What? You're not angry?” 

“Of course not” he said with a big grin “how could I be upset that you wanted to help?” Xu couldn't help but lower her head to hide the fact that her face was beet red and she was smiling. “C’mon let's head back to the campfire. we can talk about it more.” 

Shortly after they returned with surprisingly their team still out cold, the Aria and doctor continued their conversation on what she was doing. Rather than making salves however, Xu was making bombs. She had the right materials going in, but needed specific plants in order to ignite and achieve the right explosion. Bon was seriously impressed with her (and terrified). Who wouldn't be when meeting someone who may appear to be weak and defenseless but is more capable and dangerous than they let on. She explains however that she only knows this from reading books. For Xu being out in the field is terrifying. Being that she doesn't have any other skills, not even the capacity to be an Aria, she constantly needs someone to protect her and help her procure items. Her classmates didn't really view her as valuable in a fight because of that. Bon didn't think she was useless though, and should he meet any of them, he might just punch them. 

“What about you?” She had turned the conversation around. “Huh?” “You appear to be pretty strong, but not boastful. And I noticed that your eyes were glowing red a little bit. As if you had powers…” she inquired thinking back to when he nearly shot her. Bon still felt guilty about that, and he would've played it off, but that didn't look possible as he learned more about Xu’s capabilities. So what else could he do other than tell the truth? “Karura,” suddenly the red glow reappeared, and flames ignited from his right hand as he held it out. The flames began to shift and take form, appearing to be a small bird. Xu was surprised that he actually had the ability to summon a spirit without needing a magic circle and drawing his blood. It was majestic looking, even a little cute.  **“You haven't allow me to act separate from you in quite some time, and when you do it’s for parlor tricks? Hello human…”** and apparently it was quite rude too. “Hey cut it out. *sigh* Well… this is Karura, a legendary firebird spirit that's been in my family for generations. If you've ever heard of the impure king, it was ancestor using this thing to seal it” Bon had spoken as if he was in contemplation about something. What the firebird definitely did not appreciate was being referred to as a  _ thing.  _ He ignored its death stare though. “H-How? How can summon it?” Xu had asked still surprised at what he just did. “Huh? Oh” Bon had taken his free hand and tugged at the collar of his shirt a bit, revealing part of what was a tattoo that covered his chest, collarbone, and back, “it's a merging technique I used. I went to someone who knew how to bind a demon’s power, and the tattoo is the binding glyph that must be used in order for it to work. How it works is that the symbol is grafted onto an object or person, and with the necessary requirements fulfilled, the demon is then drawn into the subject, imbuing them with its power. So instead of summoning Karura, I  _ am  _ Karura. It's a hard method though and takes a lot of practice. And when you do this, you can only take in one demon’s power.” 

**“One demon’s power…** Wait! Are you saying that there's another demon whom you're trying to merge with?” 

“Honestly, yea. But it's not exactly what you think. I'm not trying to take this one’s power… I'm just trying to bind him. I’m doing this because I… I want to save his life…” Bon had got it out with nothing but guilt in his words. This made Xu want to know more but morning was nearing and the others were beginning to wake up. He reabsorbed Karura and its flames back into him and made Xu promise not to tell anyone as he doesn’t want to make anyone think that he’s a demon or jump to conclusions yet, and as much as she wanted to know more, she respected her senior and agreed to keep it secret. But knowing what she knew now, she couldn’t help but wonder exactly who was he trying to save.


End file.
